Time for spruce tips is starting

[JVi]

For years i have been doing syrup from spruce tips and this year i am going to do both syrup and beer.
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/edit/1635305

Can comment.

What i really want to know how to read and/or use this yeast calculator/pitch rate. I have seen people choosing different pitch rate from 0.35 to 1 and still using dry yeast. Because calculator result is Pitch rate dependent. I am no pro brewer but took now this 0.75 for my pitch rate.

This could be at beginners section but i started here so i let it stay here

 

[Brew Cat]

I haven't made a spruce tip beer before but I've tasted a few of them
I also had a pine tip beer which tasted good
I'm curious how you make the syrup
I make maple syrup

 

[Herm brews]

I enjoy beers brewed with spruce tips. Here in Oregon, there are a few breweries that offer spruce tip flavored beers, and I am always happy to find them when available.

 

[JVi]

Let say you have 4l spruce tips
1. You rinse those tips
2. You soake those in cold water over night, water enough to cover all tips
3. You boil tips in that water about 2h
4. Filter tips from water, you should have about 1-1.5l liquid after that
5. Add sugar, about 0.5kg/l. Then simmer this about 2 hours, stir now and then. Dont burn it. Longer you simmer it thicker syrup you get, but dont over do it.
6. Can spice it with vanilla or lemon juice if want.
7. Pour syrup to washed, sanitized and heated glass jars. And let it cool down, then you can see how thick syrup you have.

 

[Brew Cat]

interesting do you add the syrup to the wort?
any specific type of spruce
up north I have white, red , and black in my woodlot
blue here in CT
also have Norway

I know spruce beer is/was historically brewed in northern New England and New York before the availability of hops

that's my stomping grounds and
I see it around but often un hopped
do you get any bittering from the hops

edit: I see the tips are added to your boil

 

[Brew Cat]

I'm sorry
As far as pitch rate mine is set .035
Never had a reason to change it

 

[JVi]

interesting do you add the syrup to the wort?
any specific type of spruce
up north I have white, red , and black in my woodlot
blue here in CT
also have Norway

I know spruce beer is/was historically brewed in northern New England and New York before the availability of hops

that's my stomping grounds and
I see it around but often un hopped
do you get any bittering from the hops

edit: I see the tips are added to your boil

I just use spruce that is growing on my yard and forest near by. Here in Finland those are called forest spruces, it has 2 subs, european spruce and siberian spruce i think.
Green and it smells nice and have great aroma

 

[Brew Cat]

ill sniff some and chose the ones that smell the best

 

[JVi]

I'm sorry
As far as pitch rate mine is set .035
Never had a reason to change it

How and why you have picked this one?

 

[Brew Cat]

How and why you have picked this one?

well that is what's recommended for an average gravity ale
I don't brew high gravity beers but would just pitch two packets if I did
lagers I double
one packet of dry is plenty for most
I would check it if I was using liquid and was building starters but I mostly use dry
I have changed it for liquid starters but always go with the recommendation for style
if you chose .075 or 1 it would always tell you to pitch 2 packs
that said I often repitch slurry which is a huge overpitch
I just don't sweat pitch rates with dry yeast

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

I have made a spruce tip beer in the past, but I used very young Colorado Spruce tips. It turned out fine, but had very little pine and mostly strawberry flavor/aroma. How old do the tips need to be to pick up more pine rather than strawberry?

I have heard of people adding the tips to salads, so there more than one use tips.

 

[JVi]

I have made a spruce tip beer in the past, but I used very young Colorado Spruce tips. It turned out fine, but had very little pine and mostly strawberry flavor/aroma. How old do the tips need to be to pick up more pine rather than strawberry?

I have heard of people adding the tips to salads, so there more than one use tips.

Flavor palette is different between different spruce types, at least so i have heard. I haven´t used anything else but forest spruce. We have some cultivated varieties like blue spruce.
Tips in forest spruce are best when young and light green, then those have more citrusy and pine flavor, after turning darker green flavor is more bitter and woody.

Tips are used in salads, tee and as a seasoning for game

 

[Ward Chillington]

Yards makes a spruce tip beer, not bad...a little catty but I have a question. Were spruce tips used in the mash tun as a filtering media?